Shelly Manne (Charlie Watts Jim Keltner Project) (LP 2436)

Charlie Watts Jim Keltner Project  The Charlie Watts/ Jim Keltner Project (CDR, 2000) ****  

Genre: Jazz 

Places I remember: Roger Marbeck made me a copy of this.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Art Blakey

Gear costume: Shelly Manne

Active compensatory factors: An interesting experiment - to provide a musical portrait for many of Charlie's favourite jazz drummers - each track is named after one.

Each tune aims to recreate the vibe/mood presence of the source of inspiration. It's a terrific idea and the two drummers carry it off superbly.

It feels very modern curiously enough. 

Where do they all belong? A definite one off. Much like the two drummers themselves!

Stompin' at The Savoy (LP 828)

The Charlie Watts Orchestra  Live Fulham Town Hall (Vinyl, Columbia Records, 1986) ****  

Genre: Big Band Jazz 

Places I remember: Record Fair in Palmerston North

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Flying Home

Gear costume: Robbins Nest

Active compensatory factors: When Charlie Watts decided to realise a dream and build a big band to play material from the swing era, he didn't mess around. He went huge! Thirty-three musicians!!

And it sounds like it on this album - recorded live in Fulham. This was his first solo album away from the Stones.

My favourite tracks are the full band versions of the classics like Stompin' At The Savoy, Lester Leaps In and the two listed above.

You can almost see the grin on Charlie's face!

Where do they all belong? A worthy addition to the Big Band sub-genre.